A tentative agreement has been reached in the ongoing negotiations with Iran, US sources confirmed, though they stressed that the deal has not yet been finalised and remains subject to formal approval by US President Donald Trump.
Trump has asked for a couple of days to consider the proposal before making a decision.
“The teams have been going back and forth,” US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Thursday at a White House press conference. He added that Trump has been “very clear” about this “red lines” with Iran, claiming that the president is “not going to make a bad deal” for the American people.
“Iran has to turn over their highly enriched uranium. They cannot pursue a nuclear weapon, and the Strait of Hormuz ... has to be free and open as it was before,” he reiterated.
Iran’s Tasnim news agency, citing a source close to the negotiating team, said Tehran had not informed the Pakistani mediator that the text was complete.
The development comes amid a fragile ceasefire first set in April. On Wednesday, the US military launched targeted strikes against Iran.
In immediate retaliation, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards fired a ballistic missile targeting a US military base in Kuwait.
The proposed framework, negotiated with mediation involving Pakistan and, to a lesser extent, Oman and Qatar, focuses on restoring free commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
In return, Iran would end vessel harassment, remove naval mines and dismantle its transit toll system, while the US would gradually ease its naval blockade.
It also includes the start of talks on Iran’s highly enriched uranium stockpile and broader nuclear issues, with Washington open to sanctions relief, unfreezing select Iranian assets and establishing humanitarian channels.
A key element is a 60-day ceasefire extension to enable further detailed negotiations, as per US media reports.
Asked about possible sanctions reliefs, Bessent described the potential memorandum as a “multifaceted agreement”, but said “nothing is going to be on the table” unless all US conditions are met. -- SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
